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How Sex Shapes Facial Morphology in Adults: A 3D Geometric Morphometric Study
Riccardo Solazzo1, Daniele Maria Gibelli1, Alice Alderighi1
1Laboratory of Functional Anatomy of the Stomatognathic System (LAFAS), Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, Italy.
Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland)
|March 14, 2026
Summary
Facial soft tissue analysis reveals distinct male and female traits. Males have larger faces with projected features, while females exhibit smaller faces with fuller cheeks, offering valuable reference data for various applications.
Area of Science:
- Anthropometry
- Forensic Science
- Plastic Surgery
Background:
- Accurate facial sexual dimorphism description is crucial for clinical, forensic, and anthropological applications.
- Understanding normal craniofacial variation aids in diagnosis, treatment, and identification.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate sexual dimorphism in facial soft tissues of healthy Italian adults.
- Provide reference data for craniofacial variation.
- Deepen understanding of sex-related facial differences.
Main Methods:
- 3D stereophotogrammetric facial imaging of 342 Italian adults (18-40 years old).
- 3D spatially dense geometric morphometric analysis of facial shape and form.
- Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR) for sex-related difference quantification.
Main Results:
- Males showed significantly larger centroid size compared to females.
- Sex was a significant factor in facial shape and form variation.
- Distinctive dimorphic traits identified: males with projected central faces, females with fuller cheeks and more vertical foreheads.
Conclusions:
- Results align with previous studies but highlight novel traits like flatter labiomandibular folds in males and wider temples/fuller infraorbital regions in females.
- Provides high-resolution reference data for clinical, forensic, and anthropological applications.
- Enhances understanding of sex-specific craniofacial morphology.
Keywords:
3D imaginganatomical variationanthropometryfacial morphologygeometric morphometricssexual dimorphismMore Related Videos
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